Salve Jorge soap opera in the crosshairs of religious intolerance 

It has been conveyed in social networking a manifestation of evangelicals sectors against Salve Jorge soap opera, the alleged relationship that exists between the content of the novel displayed by Rede Globo and the figure of St. George, who is revered as the Ogum orisha by adherents of Umbanda.

Some see the manifestation of a dispute backstage for purely economic reasons. This is the thought of two parliamentarians of Rio de Janeiro, Congressman Átila Nunes and the elected councilor Átila Alexandre Nunes.

They may be right. The hard fact, however, it is that by declaring war on the novel of Globo, sectors evangelicals claim that its plot would be an adoration of Ogum orisha, the same St. George to Catholic traditions. The demonstration asks then that evangelicals do not attend the soap opera Salve Jorge, but rather in its place to the reprise of King David soap opera, which restarted at the same night, when Globo reached 35 points in audience, while the Record that displays King David, had modest 6 points.

In its religious intolerance, evangelicals sectors have accused São Jorge of being a pagan god disguised as a saint, while David would have been, in fact, a true hero. Because of this, they have been seeking to convince their followers that it is not possible to accept in their homes something that directly contradicts their faith.

St. George, who probably lived between the years 275 and 303 of the Christian era, was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier who joined the army of the emperor Diocletian and, years later, for his actions in favor of the Christians, considered a Christianity martyr. Because of that, he is one of the most venerated saints in the ranks of Catholicism and various cults of African-Brazilian religions, which it is personified as Ogum. And it is also the patron saint of several countries, as well as patron of the Scouts, soccer club Corinthians Paulista and the Brazilian Army Cavalry.

It therefore suggests that the war against the novel is at the end more a reaction of fundamentalist religious fanatics against Umbanda, which has Ogum as one of its most important icons, and also against the Catholic traditions, in flagrant disregard for religion diversity, enshrined in the Brazilian constitution.

Unfortunately, the facts have shown that certain sectors of so-called evangelical religions do not ever lose the opportunity to express their prejudice against those who do not think like them, including in the list of his rivals umbandistas, spiritists and Catholics, forgetting that in Brazil is free a worship of any religion we want.

This freedom is not a government favor on duty, but a constitutional principle that they have invariably disrespected, acting just so contrary to what it was practiced by Jesus, who never did respecter of people, if they were poor or rich, ladies or prostitutes, single taxpayers or tax collectors.